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This volume, containing the unique medieval copy of Beowulf and other important texts in Old English, comprises two manuscripts of different origin and date, bound together for Sir Robert Cotton (b. 1571, d. 1631). The so-called 'Southwick Codex' (ff. 4–93), named after its medieval home, was made in the 2nd half of the 12th century. The so-called 'Nowell Codex' (ff. 94–209), named after a former owner, dates from either the very end of the 10th century or more likely the early decades of the 11th century.

While in the Cotton collection, these two separate components were bound with three other leaves, as follows:

(i) a leaf from a 14th-century Psalter (formerly foliated as f. 1, now removed to form Royal MS 13 D I/1, f. 37);

(ii) a list of contents made by Richard James (d. 1638) after all the items had been bound together, on an inserted 17th-century leaf;

(iii) a medieval English endleaf (f. 3), containing historical memoranda copied in the 1st half of the 15th century and in the 2nd half of the 16th century.

The full list of contents is as follows.

Contents:

[f. 1]: a 14th-century Psalter leaf re-used as an early modern endleaf, added to the volume while in the ownership of Sir Robert Cotton. Note: this leaf has now been removed to form Royal MS 13 D I/1, f. 37;

f. 2: a list of contents made by Richard James (d. 1638) for Sir Robert Cotton, on an added 17th-century leaf. James listed eight items in total but left a space blank for a description of the seventh item, comprising the Old English poem Beowulf. This has been added in pencil in a modern hand;

f. 3: a medieval endleaf, containing historical memoranda copied in Latin in the 1st half of the 15th century (f. 3r) and in French in the 2nd half of the 16th century (f. 3v);

ff. 4–93: the 'Southwick Codex' copied in the 2nd half of the 12th century, comprising:

ff. 4r–59v: the Old English adaptation of Augustine of Hippo's Soliloquia, sometimes attributed to Alfred the Great (ends imperfect);

ff. 60r–86v: an Old English version of the Gospel of Nicodemus (begins imperfect);

ff. 86v–93v: the prose Dialogues of Saturn and Solomon;

f. 93v: a homily on St Quintin (imperfect);

ff. 94–209: the 'Nowell Codex' copied either at the very end of the 10th century or the early 11th century, comprising:

ff. 94r–98r: an Old English homily on St Christopher, beginning imperfectly. According to Ker, Catalogue of Manuscripts containing Anglo-Saxon, no. 216, approximately two-thirds of the text is likely to be missing in comparison to Latin versions of the homily;

ff. 98v–106v: an Old English version of The Marvels of the East;

ff. 107r–131v: an Old English version of the letter purporting to be of Alexander to Aristotle;

ff. 132r–201v: Beowulf, the unique medieval copy of the longest surviving epic poem in Old English;

ff. 202r–209v: Judith (imperfect).